Bobby Abreu

It's been an interesting season for outfielder Bobby Abreu. He's gone from would-be everyday starter for the Angels, to being released, to signing as a reserve with the Dodgers, to playing almost every game, to being designated for assignment, to agreeing to a minor-league contract with the Dodgers. Now add a trip back to the Dodgers as a left-handed pinch-hitter. The Dodgers called him up prior to Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. In a procedural move to make room for him on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers first called up right-hander Chris Withrow from double-A Chattanooga and placed him on the 60-day disabled list with a strained abdominal muscle.

Joe Blanton , 31, starting pitcher Final 2012 stats: 10-13, 4.71 ERA, 1.26 WHIP overall; 2-4, 4.99 ERA, 1.42 WHIP in 10 starts (57 2/3 innings) with the Dodgers. Contract status: Free agent. The good: During the stretch in September, the right-hander posted a 3.38 ERA and the Dodgers went 4-1 in his last five starts. He pitched at least five innings in all but one of his 10 starts with the Dodgers. The Dodgers won six of those 10. The bad: Never really gave the Dodgers a dominant outing.

The comings for the Dodgers mean goings, and Wednesday that meant outfielder Bobby Abreu. Abreu gave the Dodgers a needed lift when they picked him up May 4 after he had been released by the Angels. With Matt Kemp on the disabled list, Abreu played fairly regularly and was still batting .298 on July 17. But in his 79 at-bats since, he was hitting just .165 and hadn't really had a big hit since he last homered, somewhat ironically, in Anaheim on June 22. The addition of Shane Victorino as the full-time left-fielder, however, met Abreu's playing time would be reduced to being a left-handed pinch-hitter, and that wasn't deemed to be of enough value to keep him on the Dodgers' rebuilt roster.

BOBBY ABREU , 38, outfield Final 2012 stats (as a Dodger): .246 batting average, three home runs, 19 RBI, six stolen bases, 35 walks, .361 on-base and .344 slugging percentages in 195 at-bats. Contract status: free agent. The good: In truth, he was pretty much what you hoped he would be. More, actually, early on. His numbers don't wow, but he was a what-have-we-got-to-lose pickup after the Angels - with their overstocked outfield - designated him for assignment.

It can't be a very good spring when you've had half as many closed-door meetings with the manager and general manager (two) as you've had hits (four) in a dozen exhibition games. But those were the sad statistics Bobby Abreu was saddled with Saturday after being summoned by Angels Manager Mike Scioscia and GM Jerry Dipoto, who questioned the veteran outfielder about his critical comments to a Venezuelan publication. Abreu, unhappy with his diminished role, entered camp saying he preferred to be traded if he wasn't going to play every day, comments that got him called into the manager's office before the team's first full-squad workout.

Get your arms around this one: The Los Angeles team with the best record in its league is about to pick up a reject from the Los Angeles team in its division cellar. That's right, the Dodgers' new owners are on the verge of acquiring their first player and it's Bobby Abreu. The team is closing in on a deal with the former Angels outfielder, according to multiple people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because an agreement hasn't been finalized. Abreu, who was released by the Angels on Friday, in theory would provide a left-handed bat off the bench and an occasional starter in left field, one source said.

Tempe, Ariz.-- Bobby Abreu hasn't arrived at Angels camp, but the veteran outfielder has already caused a stir, telling a reporter from ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com on Tuesday that he would prefer to be traded if he isn't playing every day. "I'm an everyday player, I can still be in the lineup for a major league team," Abreu, who will be 38 in March, said by phone from Venezuela. "I will not be on the bench knowing that I can play. If the Angels don't have a position for me, then the best thing is to trade me. " The problem is the Angels can't guarantee Abreu a starting job this early in camp, and they would prefer to hold onto Abreu as insurance in case Kendrys Morales doesn't return from a broken left ankle and Mark Trumbo is slow to return from a stress fracture in his right foot.

The Angels, in dire need of a power boost from the left side, have expressed serious interest in Bobby Abreu and are expected to sign the free-agent outfielder to a one-year deal by the start of spring training Saturday. Abreu, who turns 35 on March 11, is scheduled to undergo a physical in Southern California today, according to a source who is familiar with negotiations but not authorized to discuss them publicly. Foxsports.

Nearing the end of a grueling season-ending stretch in which they'll play 50 games in 52 days, Manager Mike Scioscia gave right fielder and No. 3 batter Bobby Abreu , who is hitless in 12 at-bats over his last three games, Sunday off. "He's played a lot down the stretch, so we'll try to freshen him up a bit and get him back in there at home," Scioscia said. "At this point of the season, you want to be a step ahead of things if you can. At times, it's important to sit back and watch a game."

By the end of the day Thursday, veteran reliever Jason Isringhausen will know whether he has secured a spot in the Angels bullpen or is headed for retirement. Isringhausen, the 39-year-old right-hander who signed a minor league contract in February, is scheduled to pitch the second of back-to-back games Thursday when the Angels face the Kansas City Royals in Tempe Diablo Stadium. After struggling with mechanics and command in two of his first four outings, Isringhausen looked sharper Wednesday when he retired the side in order in an inning against the Cincinnati Reds.

As Matt Kemp ran through the first base bag, he removed his helmet with both hands and slammed it to the ground. Another chance had been squandered. Kemp came to the plate in the seventh inning with two outs and men on second and third base. The Dodgers were trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks by a run and Kemp grounded out to short to end the inning. The at-bat was reduced to a footnote because Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run, walk-off double to lift the Dodgers to a 5-4 victory.

It's been an interesting season for outfielder Bobby Abreu. He's gone from would-be everyday starter for the Angels, to being released, to signing as a reserve with the Dodgers, to playing almost every game, to being designated for assignment, to agreeing to a minor-league contract with the Dodgers. Now add a trip back to the Dodgers as a left-handed pinch-hitter. The Dodgers called him up prior to Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks. In a procedural move to make room for him on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers first called up right-hander Chris Withrow from double-A Chattanooga and placed him on the 60-day disabled list with a strained abdominal muscle.

The Dodgers acquired a starting pitcher from the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, but it wasn't Cliff Lee. They instead traded for Joe Blanton. The Dodgers will send the Phillies a player to be named later. Blanton, 31, figures to move into the Dodgers rotation and replace rookie Stephen Fife. Blanton is 8-9 with a 4.59 earned-run average this season. His 22 home runs allowed are tied for most in the National League with Mike Minor of the Atlanta Braves. Blanton is 81-71 with a 4.35 ERA over nine major league seasons.

The comings for the Dodgers mean goings, and Wednesday that meant outfielder Bobby Abreu. Abreu gave the Dodgers a needed lift when they picked him up May 4 after he had been released by the Angels. With Matt Kemp on the disabled list, Abreu played fairly regularly and was still batting .298 on July 17. But in his 79 at-bats since, he was hitting just .165 and hadn't really had a big hit since he last homered, somewhat ironically, in Anaheim on June 22. The addition of Shane Victorino as the full-time left-fielder, however, met Abreu's playing time would be reduced to being a left-handed pinch-hitter, and that wasn't deemed to be of enough value to keep him on the Dodgers' rebuilt roster.

It didn't take long for Shane Victorino to get settled in as a Dodger. Arizona's Gerardo Parra hit a fly ball on the first pitch of Wednesday's game to the waiting Victorino in left field, and Victorino then led off for the Dodgers in the bottom half of the first inning. Victorino, traded to the Dodgers from the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, went hitless in four at-bats in the Dodgers' 4-0 loss. But earlier, the veteran known as the "Flyin' Hawaiian," said he was excited to join the Dodgers and ready "to go out there and win. " "Being here a few weeks ago and playing against these guys, I knew this was a good team," said Victorino, whom the Dodgers acquired to be their regular left fielder and leadoff batter.

With Dee Gordon on the disabled list, Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly has had to be creative with the leadoff spot, and Tuesday that meant penciling in 38-year-old Bobby Abreu at the top of the order for the fifth time this season. Abreu rejected the notion that his game needs to be reinvented now that his power numbers are at career lows (two home runs and 16 RBIs in 159 at-bats heading into Tuesday's game). “I feel fine,” said Abreu, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

Look at it this way, at least now the Dodgers have the threat of power on their bench. Because otherwise, the whole bench is the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid. " Slap hitters, on-base guys, lots of utility guys, but nobody who can actually place a small fear into the opposing manager's heart. Now you can argue just how much power Bobby Abreu actually has left at age 38 -- bet the Angels would -- but it still is going to be more than any of the other backups. Abreu has 284 career home runs -- though only eight last year -- which is 284 more than any Dodgers pinch-hitter this season.

TEMPE, Ariz. — The immediate future of one Angels veteran was secured Friday when 39-year-old reliever Jason Isringhausen was told he made the team, but the outlook for 38-year-old outfielder Bobby Abreu remained cloudy with a chance of trade. The Angels, according to a CBSSports.com report, were "on the verge" of dealing Abreu to the Cleveland Indians Thursday night, but Abreu was in camp Friday and had two singles — his first hits in a week — and drove in two runs in a 9-2 exhibition victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Tempe Diablo Stadium.

June 4, 2012 | By Steve Dilbeck, This post has been corrected, as indicated below.

And here comes the cavalry! Of course, when you're in dire straits, you take your rescue where you can find it, or hope to. Which in the case of the Dodgers means Juan Rivera, who as expected, was activated from the disabled list Monday in time to start play in the four-game series in Philadelphia. To make room for Rivera, the Dodgers optioned rookie Scott Van Slyke back to triple-A Albuquerque. Van Slyke had one truly memorable home run , but otherwise was hitting .194 his first trip up. Now Rivera is not exactly the return of Matt Kemp, but when you've lost six of your last seven games and are struggling to score, you search for encouragement anywhere it can possibly be identified.